Big Half Bigger Battle

The elite women’s race at The Vitality Big Half is set to be a true Battle of Britain. The country’s best distance runners will go head-to-head in London’s brand new half marathon on Sunday 4 March.

Lily Partridge - who won the Seville Half Marathon eight days ago in a course record time of 71:09 – heads the list of British women. Partridge, 26, is the fastest athlete in the field over the half marathon distance and will be using the race to prepare for her London Marathon debut in April.

Charlotte Purdue, who is also preparing for London Marathon, will be on the start line along with Alyson Dixon and Sonia Samuels – who are both running the marathon at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in April.

The bronze medallist from last year’s World Championships marathon and Britain’s fastest marathon runner in 2017 have been added to the stunning elite men’s field that already features Sir Mo Farah, Callum Hawkins and 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon champion Daniel Wanjiru. Alphonce Simbu, 25, from Tanzania, finished third in last summer’s World Championships marathon in London while Wales’ Dewi Griffiths, 26, became one of only 16 British men in history to run under 2:10:00 for the marathon when he clocked 2:09:49 in Frankfurt last October.

In the elite men’s wheelchair race, British legend David Weir will renew his rivalry with Marcel Hug. The Weirwolf pipped Hug to victory in a stunning sprint finish at last year’s Virgin Money London Marathon. They will race again over the 13.1mile distance at The Vitality Big Half on Sunday 4 March before doing battle again over the full marathon distance on Sunday 22 April.